The Book

Allison has run away from home and with nowhere to live finds herself hiding out in the shed of what she thinks is an abandoned house. But the house isn’t empty. An elderly woman named Marla, with dementia, lives there – and she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past called Toffee.

Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to be what other people want her to be. And so, Toffee is who she becomes. After all, it means she has a place to stay. There are worse places she could be.

But as their bond grows, and Allison discovers how much Marla needs a real friend, she begins to ask herself -where is home? What is a family? And most importantly, who am I, really?

About the Author

Sarah Crossan was born in Ireland and graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Literature before training as an English and Drama teacher at Cambridge University and worked to promote creative writing in schools before leaving teaching to write full time. She completed her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Warwick in 2003 and in 2010 received an Edward Albee Fellowship for writing and currently lives in NYC.

]]>http://charliebyrne.com/toffee-sarah-crossan/feed/0Signed copies of “Yesterday We Were in America” by Brendan Lynch!http://charliebyrne.com/signed-copies-of-yesterday-we-were-in-america-by-brendan-lynch/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=signed-copies-of-yesterday-we-were-in-america-by-brendan-lynch
http://charliebyrne.com/signed-copies-of-yesterday-we-were-in-america-by-brendan-lynch/#commentsWed, 15 May 2019 14:57:04 +0000Ruth Concannonhttp://charliebyrne.com/?p=7185We are celebrating in our own way the centenary of Alcock and Brown’s fly across the Atlantic straight to the west of Ireland! We’re happy to have these signed copies of their heroic story told by Brendan Lycnh.

]]>http://charliebyrne.com/palas-cinema-book-club-the-virgin-suicides-by-jeffrey-eugenides/feed/0Wednesday Morning Book Club: Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe – Kapka Kassabovahttp://charliebyrne.com/wednesday-morning-book-club-border-a-journey-to-the-edge-of-europe-kapka-kassabova/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wednesday-morning-book-club-border-a-journey-to-the-edge-of-europe-kapka-kassabova
http://charliebyrne.com/wednesday-morning-book-club-border-a-journey-to-the-edge-of-europe-kapka-kassabova/#commentsTue, 14 May 2019 16:10:01 +0000Ruth Concannonhttp://charliebyrne.com/?p=7105This month’s pick for our Wednesday Morning Book Club is “Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe”by Kapka Kassabova

]]>http://charliebyrne.com/tuesday-evening-book-club-wise-children-by-angela-carter/feed/0Celebrating 40 Years of Virago Modern Classics!http://charliebyrne.com/celebrating-40-years-of-virago-modern-classics/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=celebrating-40-years-of-virago-modern-classics
http://charliebyrne.com/celebrating-40-years-of-virago-modern-classics/#commentsTue, 14 May 2019 15:48:03 +0000Ruth Concannonhttp://charliebyrne.com/?p=7163We are happy to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Virago Presswith this spectacular collection of Virago Modern Classics. The whole selection features artwork by the incredible illustrator Yehrin Tong and we are in love with these covers!

]]>http://charliebyrne.com/celebrating-40-years-of-virago-modern-classics/feed/0We have signed copies of Mark Boyle’s “The Way Home: Tales from a life without technology”!http://charliebyrne.com/we-have-signed-copies-of-mark-boyles-the-way-home-tales-from-a-life-without-technology/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=we-have-signed-copies-of-mark-boyles-the-way-home-tales-from-a-life-without-technology
http://charliebyrne.com/we-have-signed-copies-of-mark-boyles-the-way-home-tales-from-a-life-without-technology/#commentsTue, 14 May 2019 12:55:42 +0000Ruth Concannonhttp://charliebyrne.com/?p=7157Yesterday morning the brilliant Mark Boyle called by the shop to sign some copies of his inspiring book “The Way Home: Tales from a life without technology”. He will not see this post due to the fact that it is, indeed, technological. But thanks a million for your time and attention!
We have beautiful signed copies in the shop.

The Book

As a broadcaster, Marie O’Donnel has had the privilege of spending ‘work time’ with a broad array of individuals across Ireland, gaining a unique insight into the practicalities of their particular occupation and learning about what inspires or motivates them in their chosen fields. This book is the story of those encounters and illuminates the ways in witch these individuals perceive their chosen occupation, its day-to-day demands and the inextricable relationship between work life and spiritual life.

About the Author

Marie-Louise O’Donnell is an Irish broadcaster and politician who has served as a Senator since May 2011, upon being nominated by the Taoiseach. She played a key role in the arts at Dublin City University over a 23-year period, including in the launch of the Helix cultural centre.

]]>http://charliebyrne.com/irish-working-lives-marie-louise-odonnell/feed/0Arise And Go: W.B. Yeats and the people and places that inspired him – Kevin Connollyhttp://charliebyrne.com/arise-and-go-w-b-yeats-and-the-people-and-places-that-inspired-him-kevin-connolly/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arise-and-go-w-b-yeats-and-the-people-and-places-that-inspired-him-kevin-connolly
http://charliebyrne.com/arise-and-go-w-b-yeats-and-the-people-and-places-that-inspired-him-kevin-connolly/#commentsTue, 14 May 2019 12:43:02 +0000Ruth Concannonhttp://charliebyrne.com/?p=7151New in stock is “Arise And Go: W.B. Yeats and the people and places that inspired him” by Kevin Connolly

The Book

The idea of place runs like a river through the life and works of the poet and playwright W.B. Yeats. This book focuses on his time in Dublin, London, Sligo and elsewhere in the west of Ireland, embracing the homes, landscapes and people that impacted his life and stimulated his vast body of work.

About the Author

Kevin Connolly grew up in Bailieborough, Co Cavan. In 1982, he opened the Winding Stair Bookshop and Café in Dublin, and in 1995, a second branch in Sligo. After a decade in the US, he has now returned to live in Sligo.